5 Clever Ways to Rev Up Your Book Club

Is your book club lacking in attendance and interesting conversations? It sounds like you need some new book club ideas to bring excitement back into your meetings. Here are some clever book club ideas that’ll do just that.

1. Take the Hollywood RoutePick your next read from a selection of books that have been turned into movies. To spice up your book club meeting, have everyone throw out ideas as to which actors they would have casted as the hero, love interest, best friend and villain. When the film hits theaters, see it together then discuss how it turned out over a post-movie coffee. Reading a book-turned-movie that’s already left the theaters? Bring the movie (and a big bag of popcorn) to your next monthly gathering.

2. Don’t Just Read BooksThere’s no rule to say that your book club has to read actual books. There are many articles that are worth a read — they can even evoke as many tears or chuckles as a novel. Try going online and finding a popular screenplay or theatrical play to download, or browse your local bookstore’s literary journals, which offer unique short stories, sometimes by famous writers.

3. Choose a Theme the Whole Group will LovePick a theme that interests everyone, then find a book and plan a gathering that celebrates your choice. For example, pick a country and plan a potluck party with recipes from that region. Got a bunch of foodies in your group? Host a cookbook club where you try out different recipes and review them together. If mysteries are a group favorite, play a crime-solving game after your book discussion.

4. Bring Books to Life through AdventuresEven if you’ve all read the book, sometimes just talking about it isn’t enough. So get the group together and do something that brings the story to life. If you read a book set in 18th century, hit a museum with works from that time period. If the book was set in Spain, head to a local tapas joint with your club.

5. Offer Incentives to Keep Attendance UpSometimes the biggest book club problem isn’t choosing the book, it’s getting people to show up. Managing a sniffly toddler or an unexpected work deadline can easily lead to no-shows, so let your members know it’ll be worth the effort to make it by offering incentives. Maybe the pal with perfect attendance gets a gift certificate to a local restaurant or a Saturday night of free babysitting. Up the enticement by creating a pop quiz about what you’ve read — the person with the highest score wins the right to choose your next novel.

How have you revived your book clubs in the past? Share your tips in the comment section below.